Youth in the Masjid

Allah SWT has blessed this community with a base that is a welcome haven for all. This masjid, like

masjids all throughout the world are the houses of Allah SWT but benefit us all in different ways.

For some, this is a place of worship alone. They visit to carry out their congregational prayers. For

others, it is a place of knowledge, somewhere to learn more on Islam. For some it is a place to meet

like-minded people, to socialise and to build community bonds.

Dear brothers and sisters, we need to understand that this place is a blessing for us all and full of

potential to be great for the whole community – muslim and non-muslim alike.

And with any base such as this, we need the energy and the strength of the youth as well as the

experience and the wisdom of the elders. As with all things in Islam, it is about finding the balance

and this is no exception.

Naturally when it comes to interaction, there is a big difference between the two groups in terms of

their thinking and therefore there is a potential for conflict.

Allah SWT has therefore laid down some rules to avoid this and we should aim to adhere to these

rules so that we can best work together in a productive way.

One such advice is found through the 41st to 49th Ayats of Sura Maryum in the Quran. It is translated

to have said:

Mention too, in the Quran, the story of Abraham. He was a man of truth, a prophet. He said

to his father, ‘Father, why do you worship something that can neither hear nor see nor

benefit you in any way? Father, knowledge that has not reached you has come to me, so

follow me: I will guide you to an even path. Father, do not worship Satan— Satan has

rebelled against the Lord of Mercy. Father, I fear that a punishment from the Lord of Mercy

may afflict you and that you may become Satan’s companion [in Hell].'”

His father answered, ‘Abraham, do you reject my gods? I will stone you if you do not stop

this. Keep out of my way!’ Abraham said, ‘Peace be with you: I will beg my Lord to forgive

you— He is always gracious to me—but for now I will leave you, and the idols you all pray to,

and I will pray to my Lord and trust that my prayer will not be in vain.’

Dear brothers and sisters, if you analyse, you will see the etiquette and manners by which the

Prophet of Abraham addressed his father. Despite him being an idol-worshipper, there was love and

respect shown at all times.

We can dedicate hours just to this passage and still not get the full benefit of the wisdom in this

passage but for the purposes of this khutba, it demonstrates the level of decorum we must show to

our elders. We must in essence glorify them at all times. This is the position the elders hold in Islam.

But to do this we need the youth to attend the masjid. And this is the ultimate challenge.

And so this khutba ends with 5 practical steps we can all do to achieve this.

1. Understand their world. For example, most youth now have a smart phone. Are we telling

them that this masjid has its own app? An app with times of prayer, both start and

congregational, an app that allows it to send questions and request for advice straight to the

masjid? One that shows not only this masjid but all participating masjids in the country?

For those who aren’t aware it’s called My Mosque and it is on the Play and App store. We

also have Facebook and Twitter account. And even a website. We will put details up soon

insh’Allah on the notice boards and walls but it is already there to connect with the youth.

2. Tell them of our classes. This isn’t just a place to pray. We can learn here too. There are

classes run throughout the week and we welcome ideas for more classes. Again, use the

forums mentioned earlier to get the ideas across.

3. Youth have an overwhelming desire to change the world for the better. The energy is there.

Why not connect that with the more senior brothers who are already making this happen?

We have links now with projects that involve feeding the needy, such as the food collection

box at the back. We also are involved in projects feeding the homeless, donating blood,

visiting the sick, visiting the elderly, spreading the word of Islam and many more. All with

local people making a difference. Again, connect with the masjid and you can get all that

information and make that impact in the community.

4. Have a say in how your masjid is run. Whether it is an idea for a future khutba or whether

it’s an idea for some way this masjid can help you and the community, come to the masjid

with it and make it happen. It all starts with the idea and the energy to do it. We even have

social events here where everyone is invited, so attend those to connect with the masjid.

5. Involve the Muslim women. This is particularly important and can’t be overstated. We need

to establish a position for our sisters to have a say in how our masjids are run. Again, it all

starts with participation and involvement so contact us to get started.

Dear brothers and sisters, let’s make this masjid a community hub that attracts experience and

youth alike. We can only do that if we all make an effort to make it happen.

May Allah SWT bring the youth to the masjid. May Allah SWT make this masjid a central base for our

community and may Allah SWT rewards us all for our efforts in making this happen.

Ameen wa Alhamdullilahi Rabil-alameen.